Braginsky Apocalypse Home
by Sasha Derksen
Summary: As the Russo-American crisis builds up to a full-out war, Ivan Braginsky has to evacuate his house in Moscow to a wooden mansion in the middle of nowhere with his crazy family, along with his political partner Yao Wang. Drowning in depression while trying to survive and make rational decisions seems impossible, but Ivan needs to find himself before the apocalypse finds him.
1. Chapter 1

"Now, our meeting is scheduled this Thursday, and will be continued until Monday."

"That's quite a while, do you really think such a time is necessary?"

"We have lots to cover."

"Then it's settled."

The conversation between the two males echoed throughout the room, as other less important topics rose up. The tension between the Russian Federation and the United States was at its peak, causing Russia to turn to its greatest ally- People's Republic of China. The officials decided that their personifications would get together and discuss the most important things. That's how it came down to the two sitting at the same table. Ivan Braginsky and Yao Wang have met before, briefly, but always in the presence of government officials.

"I should really get going now, I have to fill out some papers at home." Yao stated, biting his lip at his own words. He really had nothing to do, but he did not feel comfortable being one on one with the other.

"Of course, it was nice seeing you, I look forward to Thursday."

"Likewise." The onyx-haired male hoped that the lies in his words weren't too obvious to spot. Regardless of that, the two stood up and walked out of the room, each taking their own path. Yao really did miss his large home in Beijing, the hotel he was staying in was no comparison, even if it was Moscow's largest one. Opening the large wooden door, he pulled his coat tighter around his frame. The time was early April, yet the weather outside was rather chilly. Yao spotted a taxi at the end of the street and made his way towards the bright yellow car, hoping that it would not drive away.

"Will you be able to reach this address?" The Chinese man took out a piece of paper with the hotel's address neatly written on it in black ink, silently praying that the taxi driver spoke English, and that the trip wouldn't end in a disaster.

"Sure, as long as you have money." The driver laughed. A wave of relief overcoming the male, he eagerly got in the passenger seat, and watched the driver start the car.

"So, aren't you China's representation? I've seen you on TV quite a lot." The driver asked, not taking his eyes off the road. Yao turned to the man, looking him over. He looked young, maybe in his twenties, with messed up brown hair and green eyes.

"Yes, I am." Was the only proper response to the question at the time.

"You're doing a good job. Show those Americans who's boss!" The driver smirked, stopping at a red light. Yao looked at him weakly. The man clearly did not understand that the Union between Russia ad China was created as a last resort. However, he decided not to state the truth out loud, for he knew that Russian patriots have an opinion of steel.

"I'm Alexei. Nice to meet you." The driver turned to the Chinese man, smiling. However, Yao did not return the excitement.

"Likewise." Yao wondered how many times he'll have to say that word, just so people will let him be.

"I know you already, from TV and everything." Alexei continued, "It's nice meeting a personification. Kind of like meeting a celebrity, you know?"

"Guess so." Yao did not understand how talkative some people are. He was tired from the earlier meeting, and this man was making it worse.

"We're gonna reach the hotel in a minute or two, so get ready." The Chinese male didn't respond to the comment, but instead looked out the window at Moscow's gloomy April weather.

"Does it always rain here?" He quietly asked, not sure if he was talking to the other man or himself.

"Not always. The weather is going to get better in a month or so. You should see what happens to St. Petersburg during the spring. They call it Northern Venice for a reason!" Alexei exclaimed, happy to see that the male was talking with him.

"I see." Yao didn't show much interest to the topic, at least not to this one.

"The hotel is right here." The brunette drove the car to a stop, and looked at the other.

"Ah, I didn't notice." Yao turned to the man, "here's your money." He took out a thousand ruble bill.

"You can keep it. You're a government official after all." Alexei unlocked the car doors.

"Okay, take care." The onyx-haired male opened his door and exited the car. Sighing as droplets of cold rain hit his body, he walked into the massive glass building. Too tired to respond to the receptionist, he decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator, in an attempt to avoid any chance encounters. Slowly making his way to the fifth floor, he was processing all that happened earlier. He'd have to spend five days with someone he had no common ground with, in a house he's never been before. As a very old nation, the constant traveling was really getting to him. Finally reaching his room, Yao unlocked the door, and not even changing his clothes, laid down on the bed and fell asleep, instantly.

* * *

The silver key rattled in the steel door, and opened as the champagne haired male stepped in the doorway. A gush of borscht-scented air blew right in his face as he shut the door to his rather specious apartment. Of course, Ivan wasn't the only resident in it. He lived with his three sisters, Katerina, the oldest, was the personification of Ukraine, Lena, a year younger than Ivan himself, was the personification of Karelia, Natalia, the youngest, the personification of Belarus. Along with his sisters, there lived a young male, Gilbert Beilschmidt, the personification of former Prussia, now the Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian province in Central Europe. And last, the apartment was a temporary home to the three Baltics: Toris Laurinaitis, Ravis Galante, and Eduard von Bock , who Ivan personally asked to stay in the apartment when the Russo-American crisis began. Long story short, the apartment was always filled with life of its eight inhabitants.

"Oh, Big Brother! You're back! We made some borscht, so if you want some, you better hurry." Natalia opened the kitchen door, which was right across from the main one.

"Smells amazing, I'll be there in a sec." Ivan took off his coat, and placed it in the massive closet. On his way to the bathroom to wash his hands, he looked through the glass in the kitchen door, to see all seven people he lived with, every one of them doing their own thing. The male walked into the bathroom and turned on the sink, quickly washing and drying his hands, since he knew that if there was something good in the house, it would be gone soon. The man then walked back into the kitchen, finishing his housemates already eating.

"We started eating before you came back, but we saved you a plate!" Katerina pointed to a porcelain white bowl filled with the steaming soup residing on the counter.

"Thanks." Ivan replied halfheartedly, and took the bowl in his hands and made his way to the large wooden table. Conversation didn't arise as usual, and everyone was mainly focused on finishing their plate. The atmosphere was filled with tension, or so Ivan thought.

"So... I'm going to a meeting in Istra on Thursday with Yao. I'll leave on Thursday and stay there until Monday." He proclaimed, feeling the need to say something.

"That's a long time." Lena stated as she reached for a slice of rye bread.

"Yeah." The champagne haired male didn't expect much commentary to his statement, as most of them didn't care.

"Is anyone else going with you? Like any officials or something?" Gilbert asked, taking a breadstick from the basket at the center of the table.

"No. We're going to be by ourselves." Ivan replied, dragging his spoon across the empty bowl.

"By yourselves?" The albino spoke in a suggestive tone, only to be smacked by Lena at the back of the head.

"It's for work, dimwit." She exclaimed, a piece of rye bread in her mouth, followed by a quiet 'ouch' and a glare from the male next to her.

Ivan sighed. This was his daily life, constant arguing between the two provinces, his older sister's unnecessary affection, his youngest sister's obsession with him, and the three Baltics avoiding him as much as possible. He always claimed that loneliness was eating away at his heart, and truth be told, it was. Yet when his so-called family moved in, his days were filled with noise and arguments.

"I'm gonna go file some things. Thanks for the meal, it was great." He stood up, and made his way to the door.

"You're not staying for dessert? We're having chocolate cake." Natalia asked, a hint of pleading in her voice.

"No thanks. That means more cake for you guys." He shot the group a final glace before exiting the kitchen. He heard more talk coming from the kitchen as he walked back to his room. Maybe Ivan needed a break. A break from work, politics, his family. He walked into his room and sat down on the chair placing his legs on the work table. Suddenly, he remembered a secret stash of alcohol that he kept for emergencies. This was definitely the emergency he was saving it for. Ivan stood up and reached up to his bookshelf, sliding the actual shelf over, as it acted as a door to his stash. He took out a bottle of Russian Standart vodka, and flicked the cap off, proceeding to halfway down the alcohol.

"Nothing can be completely right in life, can it?" He melancholicaly stated to himself, and placed the bottle down. He was both dreading Thursday and looking forward to it.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"Call us when you get to Istra! Also don't get yourself in political messes, we don't need any of that." Katerina was talking fast, and maybe unclear at the time. Ivan couldn't really comprehend what his sister was saying, not that he really wanted to.

"I will, Katya." The male sighed, annoyed as his older sister proceeded to fix his scarf, and checked his entire schedule, maybe for the fourth time already.

"I really need to get going now, I can't be late."He picked up the rather large suitcase, and dragged it to the front door.

"Alright. Stay safe!" Katerina smiled, her eyes tearing up. She knew how much her brother was going through, and she wanted to help him, but how do you help someone when you don't know their problem exactly?

The male nodded, and looked at the group standing in front of him. His younger sister's face didn't express any emotion, and maybe if it did, that it would be a mix of pain, despair, emptiness. Ivan knew exactly how she felt, only hoping her the best. Natalia held a spiritless look in her eye. The male knew that she didn't want him to go, but he couldn't do anything about it. His eldest sister, tears welled up in her eyes, a look that a mother would hold when her son is going off to college. It may have been seen as odd, but understandable. Gilbert was in his usual stance: arms crossed, and his face formed into an annoyed pout. But if he wasn't mistaken, Ivan could see a glint of worry in his garnet eyes. The albino had never taken a liking to him, especially after his country was dissolved, but that didn't mean he hated the other, even if he had stated it a number of times. The Baltics didn't look much different than any other day, either. Lamenting, unnerved. None of them were looking him in the eye, seemingly lost in their own thoughts.

"See you later." Ivan muttered almost silently, his words followed by a few goodbyes, he opened the thick wooden door and stepped out on the porpoise slate floor of the stairs leading out of the home. Sighing, he shut the door to the apartment he wouldn't come back to in a long time.

Taking quiet steps down the stairs, he was consumed in his own thoughts. The Russo-American crisis put him in a trance, and that wasn't the crisis itself, but rather the events that followed. Alfred F. Jones, the personification of the United States of America, had no significant grudge against Ivan, but even saying that is going a long way. They're nations, they've fought with each other and against each other. It made the male sick to the bone that things had turned out like this. He could've gotten along with Alfred, and everyone else, too, quite well, if it wasn't the corrupt, selfish ways of his rulers.

Ivan opened the building's door to find a black Audi S6 parked right across from the entrance. He knew that whoever was in the car at the moment was waiting for him. The male reluctantly walked up to the car and knocked on the window. All motion that there was in the car seemed to stop and almost unwillingly unlocked the car doors. Ivan opened the door and cautiously got in.

Two men dressed in black were seated in the driver and passenger seat, and gave him a questioning look. Then, one of the men looked at the other and nodded, allowing him to start the car.

Ivan looked out the window at the desolate streets of Moscow as they drove, only a few passerby gloomily walking down the watery concrete, their umbrellas towering over their heads like the melancholic angst dominating the nation. He felt as the sight was mocking him and the situation he was in, so the male turned away from the window. Ivan took out his phone, a brand new Yota 2, one that he bought in one of the biggest malls of the city with his family, nearly three months ago right before the crisis skyrocketed. He remembered how Natalia convinced them to go shopping as a whole family, so the eight of them went on a trip to Metropolis. He remembered his sisters trying on beautiful dresses. He remembered getting Gilbert and Lena getting along as they pulled innocent pranks on some of the visitors. He remembered the Baltics smiling and laughing alongside him, a sight that he hasn't seen in a long time. After all, how could Ivan forget the best thing that happened to him in many, many years?

Understanding that this ride would take no less than an hour, he turned on whatever music he had on the phone and decided to check the news.

"...U.S. plans to attack Russia..."

"...Russo-American crisis gone too far..."

"...China can't back out now..."

The male quickly shut his phone and placed it beside him, as he felt his already shattered heart cripple to bits. He knew far too well that the U.S. wouldn't attack his country. At least, Alfred wouldn't let them. The honey-haired male had a impartial relationship with Ivan, and even though the two have been rivals for hell knows how many centuries, they wouldn't destroy cities, claim millions of lives, destroy culture of each other's countries. But then again, personifications played a minor role in the political development of their nations. Not as much as they should, anyway.

Ivan observed the car's surroundings as soon as they passed MKAD. He noticed a family in the car next to theirs, laughing, having fun, enjoying life. The man warily smiled at the sight. Ivan envied his people, he could only wish to be this carefree. Of course, hardly anyone was carefree at the moment, worrying about their motherland, and preparing for war. Ivan hated putting his people through this for what seemed like the thousandth time.

* * *

"Mr. Wang, he's here." A middle aged man in tinted sunglasses, wearing an obsidian colored tuxedo stepped into the room. Yao was looking out the window, thinking things over. The onyx-haired man turned to the guard and stood up slowly.

"May I see him, then?" He asked, in a voice that sounded almost demanding. The guard seemed uneasy and nodded, quickly muttering something in his radio. He told Yao that he would lead him to the car where Ivan was. The Chinese man unenthusiastically followed the guard through the vast building that was their said countryhouse. The guard stopped in front of a large metal door and opened it, letting Yao step outside. He was wearing a black scarf to keep himself warm, and as soon as he set foot into the Russian cold, the bitter wind sent the loose parts of the scarf into the air. The male tightened his grip on the dark fabric. Yao focused on the glossy jet black Audi coming to a stop and proceeded to observe two other men dressed in black, but his attention was drawn to a rather muscular man dressed in an alabaster trenchcoat, dark viridian pants and tall hickory boots, his ashen hair briskly blown around by the Northern wind, and his deep amethyst eyes staring right into the Yao's amber ones, a somewhat surprised expression on his face that was replaced by a small smile, which the Chinese man returned. Ivan walked to the entrance of the countryhouse with the guards on both of his sides.

"We seem to be late, so we must leave now. Everything that you'll need for the five days is in the house, and if anything goes wrong we'll make sure to inform you as soon as possible. Keep an eye on the news too." Neither of the personifications liked how this sounded, and cringed slightly. The guard gave an understanding look, and started towards the car.

"Farewell, we hope your meeting turns out nicely." He said before getting in the dark vehicle with his comrades, and driving away. The two stood in an awkward silence, waiting for the other to speak.

"So... We should go inside." Ivan noted, looking at the shorter nation's shivering form.

"Yeah." Yao replied, and walked through the door that Ivan held open, then entered himself. The two haven't been to the house before, so it was quite a challenge to find where to go. They've been explained the layout of the house, but neither took it into consideration.

"Do you want to go to the kitchen for some tea?" The blonde stated, immediately regretting his own words. Socialization wasn't too easy of a thing for him, but the other didn't seem to take notice.

"Sure, why not." The pair moved in the direction of the kitchen, to find a large dining room connected to a chartreuse-colored kitchen, glistening silverware and brand new pots neatly stacked in their designated places. Yao took a step into the space, but was quickly ushered out by the blonde.

"You've had a long ride, relax. I'll make the tea for both of us." He assured the other, who shrugged and sat down on the oak chair, which was beautifully decorated with traditional Slavic designs carved in it. There was no noise, except for the shuffling of the Russian male in the kitchen, while Yao watched him.

"You typically drink this one, isn't that right?" Ivan pulled out a scarlet metal box, facing it to the other male.

"Yes, but it's very expensive, please don't shake it around." Yao warned, slightly raising his hand. Ivan chuckled lightly.

"I won't, but you do know the officials bought this for us? I can call them right now and ask them for an entire truck of this tea, and they'll bring it." He smiled, as he set the kettle on the polished stove.

"Don't take things for granted. Even if they brought us an entire truck of this tea, I would treat each box like it's my only one." Yao sighed, while the blonde just chuckled and went back to brewing the beverage.

"I like how you think. I guess I've just been zoned out for the past few months, I forgot how life really is." Ivan smiled desolately.

"I understand. It's been exactly the same for me. Our officials want so much from us, they forget that we have lives of our own, don't they?" The Chinese man melancholically stated his thoughts.

"I agree completely."

And at this very moment, the two realized that they already had common ground. Maybe, just maybe, this entire union wasn't an inaccurate mistake, but rather the beginning of a friendship created by fate.


End file.
